National Network for Equitable Library Service

Arto has lived his whole life in the snowy, cold North, and six years is a long time. When his mom gets a new job and the family prepares to spend a year in the South, Arto is not happy at all. He decides that he's just going to act as if he never moved. In the new Southern landscape of prickly plants, strange birds and a big, hot sun, Arto stubbornly dons his winter uniform of boots, mittens, coat, and hat, day after day. It's worth the stuffy, sweaty, overheated feeling if he can pretend he's still in the North. But when Arto makes a new friend, Ana, he slowly sheds his layers and discovers that it's not such a bad idea to adapt to your surroundings. When his year in the South is over, Arto realizes there is a way to cope with leaving while keeping the memory of his Southern adventure alive. A relatable story with a memorable character, Arto's Big Move uses a gentle touch to convey an important message about adapting to change.